Mistletoe Manipulation
by jadenanne7
Summary: Lizzie accidentally finds herself under the mistletoe with Red, but with Raymond Reddington, is anything really an accident?


Hey guys! One more before I get back to Monsters and Broken and the others I have yet to finish but swear I will... *blushes*

Clara, I hope this is all that you wanted. I took some liberties with your prompt, but I figured that was okay. :)

I own nothing!

_"Relax."_

Liz imagined every eye in the room focused on her as she stood awkwardly by the bar, waiting for her drink.

_"They don't know you're not one of them, but they will if you don't get your shit together soon!"_

Straightening up instinctively as she felt something being pressed into her hand, Liz forced herself to drop her shoulders when she realized it was just the drink she had ordered. She smiled politely at the bartender, slowly lifting the glass to her crimson lips, disappointed by its lightness compared to the heft of the gun she wished she had been allowed to bring. A giggled escaped her lips as the alcohol burned down her throat. Where the hell would she have put it?

The tiny red dress she had sprung from the back of her closet left little to the imagination, and her long black coat had long ago been shed and probably thrown in a closet somewhere. Red satin heels covered her feet, and Liz found herself to be a bit proud of the way the little silver buckles matched the silver and red straps that gave the illusion that her dress needed holding up. Great choice for a Christmas party, but not for an undercover operation, which this was SUPPOSED to be. Liz sniffed as she took another sip of her drink, and coughed in surprise as a hand found the small of her back.

"Lost you there for a minute," Red drawled into her ear as he slowly turned Liz to face him, dropping his eyes to sweep over her body brazenly as he had already done several times that night.

"I wasn't lost," Liz countered, reached up to make a show of straightening his tie. "I knew where I was the whole time."

Red smirked as he ran his fingers under the left strap of her dress. "Tell me...are you such a smartass with all your boyfriends, or do you reserve this special quality for me?"

Liz's eyes began to narrow, but she remembered herself and twisted her mouth into a tight smile. "Only the best for you, Darling." She gasped when Red's only response was to slide his free hand down the small of her back, all the way down to the swell of her ass, which he pinched playfully.

That was the last straw. It was absolutely the last time she would allow Raymond Reddington to coax, cajole, or downright manipulate her into these situations.

"I'm done," she said as she slammed her glass down on the bar. "The next time you need a 'date', you can call Navabi!" Twisting out of his grip, she made her way quickly towards the door, ignoring the attention her little hissy fit was garnering. she could feel Red hot on her heels, but she ignored him too.

"Lizzie," he hissed, gaining on her as she yanked her coat away from the amused looking valet. "I was only kidding. Stop acting like a chi..." Liz's icy glare seemed to shed some light on just how serious he was, and how much silent treatment he would be in for if he finished that sentence. Liz turned to take the three steps up that would lead her off the floor and towards the door she was so desperate to get to, but Red bounded to the top of the steps before her heel could hit the first one. "Please," he begged in a manner uncharacteristic of the enigmatic Raymond Reddington, "Let me make it up to you."

"Look where you're standing, Romeo," a voice called from somewhere in their captive audience. Liz looked up and cringed.

Mistletoe.

"It's a sign," a decidedly female voice teased. Liz turned to look at the woman, only to realize that they were really in a jam. Rachel McCall was the very woman Red had brought Liz in to perform for. They were supposed to be a couple, and couples kissed...especially when there was mistletoe involved. "Come on, guys... It's Christmas. Kiss and make up!"

A bubbling of voiced filled the air as the rest of the party-goers decided they wanted to join in.

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

"Kiss!"

Liz's eyes caught Red's as the chanting grew louder and louder, sending a silent message that if he tried to kiss her, the heel of her satin shoe would go so far up his ass that it would have to be surgically removed. That message was received and promptly shrugged off. The corners of his mouth twisted apologetically as his arms circled around her and lifted her almost off the step, bringing his lips down to hers as the chanting of the crowd erupted into cheering and whooping.

It was wrong.

Red's lips moved against hers, but not in the pleading, passionate way that begs you to deepen the kiss. Instead, a gentle hum passed across her lips as Red did some begging of another kind. "Please, Lizzie, you've already caused a scene. Don't make it any worse." His grip on her tightened as she tried to pull away. "Can't you, for one moment, find me irresistible?"

The whooping and roaring that filled the room let Liz know that she and Red still had a captive audience, and with that in mind she gave in to the soft pleading in his voice. Tilting her head slightly, she pressed her lips firmly to his and brought her fingers up to grip the strong biceps that were keeping her from tumbling to the floor. She let her lips linger for an almost obscene amount of time before she was sure that the crowd had gotten their fill. Pulling away to give her companion a triumphant smirk, she was startled when a low moan escaped Red's lips.

"Red?" she questioned, shivering as Red's eyes opened to reveal an intensity like nothing she'd ever seen.

"I'm so sorry, Lizzie." Red's hands trembled as he finished pulling her coat up over her shoulders. "I think it's time to go."

Liz couldn't have agreed more.

TBLTBLTBLTBLTBLTBLTBLTBLTBLTBL

The car ride home was silent and awkward, so different from what Red had planned. But then, when did anything involving Lizzie ever go as planned?

The tension radiating off of Lizzie was almost palpable, and Red was desperate to get rid of it. Figuring that he would have to be the one clear the air, he started with admitting he was wrong, something he loathed to do...

"I should have let you walk away."

For an awful moment, Red assumed that Lizzie was going to ignore him.

"Yes, you should have."

Red huffed a sigh of relief. "I shouldn't have done that to you."

Lizzie's arms folded across her chest. "You took advantage..."

"Yes, I took advantage of our situation. That's what I do. I see an open window and I lower myself to crawl through it. Hardly what you deserve."

Whatever reprimand Red was expecting did not come, and he was vaguely disappointed when the car lapsed back into silence. Lizzie turned her attention to the window and Red pulled his eyes away from her sulking form and focused them towards the front of the car, catching Dembe's amused expression in the rearview mirror. Dembe had warned him that this entire evening was a bad idea, and damn it if he hadn't been right.

"Dembe? Where are we going?" Lizzie asked anxiously as Dembe took a left turn into a very nice neighborhood. Dembe remained silent, and Lizzie turned to glare accusingly at Red. "I thought you were taking me home."

A small chuckled escaped Red's lips. "Well I would, but you left your car at my place and I figured you'd want that." Lizzie blushed prettily and slumped back against the seat. "Left your scarf, too. I don't know if it holds any sentimental value for you, but it's a nice scarf and Dembe might be tempted to steal it." Dembe snorted and a smile appeared on Lizzie's lips.

As they pulled into the drive of the luxurious house Red had hijacked for a short while, he suddenly remembered why he had insisted that Lizzie drive over instead of him going to pick her up. Not that it mattered anymore. That plan went out the door the moment he stepped under that mistletoe...

"Hurry up! It's freezing out here."

Lizzie sprinted from the car to the front door, slightly stumbling over her stunning red heels, giving Red the motivation he needed to exit the car and escort her up the steps to the front door.

"Careful, Lizzie." Instead of doing what he really wanted to do and grabbing her by the waist, Red settled for gripping her firmly by the elbow, only letting go when they reached the top step. Taking the key from his jacket pocket, he found himself struggling to get the key to actually turn in the lock. He swore under his breath and yanked it harder, practically snarling when nothing moved.

"Red..."

"Hold on," Red huffed, not ready to admit defeat. "I can get it."

"Red."

Lizzie's hand closed over his, stilling the violent motion.

"I wanted to tell you... I wanted to say..." Lizzie stumbled over her words, puffing air into the cold in frustration when her tongue wouldn't cooperate. "I'm sorry too."

"Lizzie..."

"No, let me say this." Her hand tugged his away from the key and held it lightly in hers.

This was a first.

"I may have overreacted. To everything. You have a reputation to uphold and I wasn't doing anything to facilitate that." Red opened his mouth to protest, but Lizzie was quick to cut him off. "I mean...it's not like you planned to catch me under the mistletoe."

Red groaned.

"What?" Lizzie scrunched up her beautiful face in confusion.

It seemed to grow colder as Red prepared to come clean. "I have a confession to make." He paused and Lizzie looked at him expectantly. "You didn't forget your scarf. I hid it so you would have to come back and get it."

Lizzie shook her head. "Why would you do that?"

Moment of truth.

"I wanted you to have come back inside with me."

"Can't you ever just be straight with me?" Lizzie frowned and let go of Red's hand. "Do you always have to dance around things? Just tell me why you wanted me to..."

Lizzie paused when she realized that Red was pointing up over their heads, towards the door frame.

"I'm not so innocent in all this, Lizzie. There was a plan to get you under the mistletoe, but now that I know how it would have turned out..."

Red's back hit the door hard as Lizzie threw herself into his arms, pulling him down for the kiss he had wanted since the day she sat before him, legs crossed and eyes narrowed, not knowing what he had in store for her.

There was no battle for dominance. Lizzie took over completely, and Red was more than happy to let her. She grabbed at his waist, pulling him against her, seeking warmth and friction while her mouth moved frantically over his. He pushed back against her, allowing her to overtake him until they were both struggling for breath.

"Lizzie." Red sighed as they pulled apart reluctantly. Lizzie's head rested on his chest, snuggling into him as close as she could. "Yes?" she breathed. Red brought his head down to hers, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. "I hate to ruin this with questions, but what happens now?"

Lizzie smiled impishly, reaching past him for the key and effortlessly turning it, unlocking the door.

"You invite me in. That's what happens now."


End file.
